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Thursday, December 3, 2009

Home

Today I woke up coughing and struggling to breathe due to the excessive amount of... well... "nasal drainage." I'm Lindsay, and I'm sick. I crawled out of our comfy bed this morning, found my slippers, robe, and new box of Puffs Plus Plus Lotion tissues, and moseyed down the hall and down the short flight of stairs to our beautiful first floor decorated for Christmas. I peeked through part of the open curtain to find that it had SNOWED! Better yet, the snow is still falling!!

I should mention that it is Thursday, my day off of work. A day all to myself! Suddenly, after seeing the snow gently falling and realizing that I was truly warm inside MY house, I felt better... almost peaceful. I am feeling so much peace, I thought i'd blog about it.

We have had this house for almost 6 full months now. Half a year goes by FAST! I recently read a blog post by my friend Maggie in Nigeria that made me think about my own "home." You should read her blog, its really interesting.

Where is my home? I feel that I have had a few "home" moments in life. I lived at Bethel University for 4 wonderful, insanely fun years. Driving back to campus every now and then brings back so many unforgettable memories... like the time I got chased down by security all the way to my dorm.... or the dead squirrel hanging from my doorknob from the boys below us. Another "home" moment was when I was in China for the second time. The team was back in Beijing, and I actually knew how to get places without our team leader!! It felt good to be in a familiar place.

But is that truly home? Not to me. For 25 years, my permanent home was in one location. On a secluded wooded lot in Apple Valley. Decorated so beautifully at Christmas it was almost like a window display. Home was sitting next to our wood burning fireplace late at night with the curtains open so I could see the snow falling. Home was curling up in familiar chairs sipping hot cocoa and reading The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia at Christmas time. That home was VERY warm :-) (I had control of the thermostat downstairs where my room was... hehe)

That home is still home to me. Whenever I go to visit my parents, or pick up some clothes (my old closet is still full!) all those comforting feelings and smells come right back. But now I live in a different place. I've asked Dustin many times if this place felt like home to him. His response was, "yes, its felt like home since about the first week we moved in". Its funny how men and women are different in that way. This new HOME didnt quite feel that way for at least a few months. If home is more about the people and memories than the location, no wonder this place didnt feel quite like home for a while. All the people I lived with for 25 years live in a different house. Now, I live with a guy (who is wonderful!). We've been able to make a lot of memories already in our house. It feels like home more and more every day.

This morning when I got up and came down to have my orange juice and oatmeal for breakfast, this house has never felt more like home! Perhaps because of the Christmas decorations and the snow, but it just felt so comforting to me. I am feeling sick, and I am home. That was reassuring to me somehow. This place is my new familiar. Although my parents house will always be "home" in some respects, this is where I am going to make all kinds of new memories with my own family. I think that feelings of home will just continue to grow through each stage of life. I love my home!

4 comments:

Aww, thanks for the shout-out! I must say, it was very thought-provoking to read your meditation on home. It left me wondering how my own feelings on the topic will change if/when I get married...I hadn't thought about it before!

Love you, and yes I would love to grab coffee! What about the week of the 14th? :)

the 14th of Dec? that would be next week!! ya! lets see, weds afternoons work really well, i get off at 12:30 and will be in the edina/bloomington area... or else maybe thursday afternoon? I have a dentist appt that morning. Or even Fri the 18th after 12:00 i'd be available... letme know what works for you!

Hi Lindsay,Not sure how I came across your blog... I am newly married to (9/4/09) I blog about Life as a Wife! Loved your post about "home". It's true that men & women are different... My husband felt "at home" almost RIGHT away after we got married & moved in together. Crazzzzy! Blessings to you!

This is beautiful Lindsay! I like to refer to the expression home is where your heart is! That's how I have justified having three homes right now! Minneapolis will always be my roots, Sweden is home right now, and heaven is my real home. Last night in our cell group, we talked about being foreigners, what that feels like in relationship to our heavenly home, referring to Hebrews 11:13-16. The spiritual dynamic always adds an interesting perspective!

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About Me

I am an adventurer and a dreamer at heart. I believe I am here on earth to love god and love people. I love to travel and enjoy trying new things. I try to look at each day as its own adventure... not always thinking life will really start at the next big milestone in life.